As my cockatiels get older, they are spending more and more time on their flat perches. I still provide a variety of standard perches for them, but their tired, old feet always head back to the flat perches before too long.

Flat perches gain a lot of points for offering comfort to my cockatiels in their golden years, but lose points with their constant need for cleaning. The beauty of the design of a standard perch, taken from nature, is that droppings fall from ...

Lately a few people have been sending me messages asking for cleaning tips in relation to birds. Some of the questions have had a definite tinge of desperation to them and I can’t help but imagine these evil birds that are intentionally throwing food and poo at their humans. I can just see their beaky grins of delight when they manage to hit their target.

I can’t help but smile at the irony of my being asked for ...